Introduction

Since I was a very young child I have always had a love of art, music, the outdoors and travelling on the open road with my father. The roads in and out of the tiniest village of Balsall Common near Warwickshire, where I lived, seem to be such a long way from my home as I know it now as South Wales.

My childhood and adolescent years were filled with long country walks, taking photographs with a camera loaned to me by my grandfather, who was also an artist and photographer in his own right, as well as visits to family in Monmouth with him and my grandmother. School holidays were spent in Tenby, South Wales, and after my parents split up, my father would take me to various locations throughout the United Kingdom.

For my tenth birthday, I received money to purchase my own camera at Dixons, Solihull. I remember being overjoyed that day when I walked into the shop and came out holding a Miranda film camera in red and black. I took this everywhere I went and spent every spare moment capturing photographs. After leaving high school, I found myself putting my hard work to use as a Saturday girl in a local photography studio and working my way up in the profession from there. That was more than three decades ago.

I explored a few options at the start of this project, which I outlined in my presentation and proposal. I have felt my practice, like myself, has been evolving as both a photographer and an artist. Whilst conducting my research my passion for poetry and fine art has been reignited. This project will connect my past to my present by demonstrating the significant transition in my life that shaped me from childhood into adulthood and the stories behind my experiences. It will allow me to reconnect with memories and landscapes that have left an indelible imprint on me. It will feature the roads that connect England and South Wales, which I still use regularly and think of as a permanent fixture in my life. Like any road, life has it’s ups and downs, twists and turns.